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2020-2021 Season

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
A New Version by Sarah Ruhl
October 1, 2020 - Acts 1 & 2, 7 p.m. / October 2, 2020 - Acts 3 & 4, 7 p.m.

Discover the humor and heartbreak of one of the world’s greatest plays, revealed through
the lyricism of a leading voices in contemporary theatre: two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist
Sarah Ruhl.

Transplanted from their beloved Moscow to a provincial Russian town, three sisters—
school teacher Olga, unhappily married Masha, idealistic Irina—yearn for the city of their
childhood, where they imagine their lives will be transformed and fulfilled. Three Sisters is
the portrait of a family grappling with the bittersweet distance between reality and dreams.

Declaration by Jonathan Dorf
November 19-21, 2020, 7 p.m.

A group of students gets up in the morning, jumping into the expected cycle of every school
day--but today, the school they go to is part of a larger, terrifying cycle of mass shootings. In
a series of connected scenes and monologues that occur before, during, and after the event,
young people of all stripes piece together what is happening and why. With fire, humor, and
power, Declaration gives students a voice to ask whether the promise of “life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness” can be fulfilled, crouched behind a barricaded classroom door.

Voices to Hear: A Diversity/Inclusion Reading
Rotterdam by John Brittan
February 4 & 5, 2021 at 7 p.m. / February 6, 2021 at 3 p.m.

It’s New Year in Rotterdam, and Alice has finally plucked up the courage to email her
parents and tell them she’s gay. But before she can hit send, her girlfriend reveals that he
has always identified as a man and now wants to start living as one.
Now Alice must face a question she never thought she’d ask…does this mean she’s straight?
A bittersweet comedy about gender, sexuality and being a long way from home.

Voices to Hear is a new staged reading series here at USC Upstate that shines a light on
recent works from both upcoming and established playwrights whose voices may not be
heard otherwise. It focuses on diverse characters, themes, and cultures that may not be
experienced or appreciated within the confines of the mainstream, commercial theatre.

Measure for Measure, By William Shakespeare
April 8-10, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. / April 11, 2021 at 3 p.m.

In all Shakespeare’s canon, Measure for Measure is among one of the most passionately
discussed plays. This play deals with power and its abuse; with morality and its corruption;
with sexual harassment and its damage; and, with basic fairness and how it’s manipulated.
Shakespeare treats these themes through drama and comedy. In fact, this play is a great
example of an early version of tragicomedy. Measure for Measure raises more issues than
it resolves. There is no solid demarcation between good and bad. You can’t help but feel
ambiguous about these well-crafted characters ensnared in the complicated plot twists.